• • • • • • • KEY points: six months. 5% respectively from previous the representing of decreases 11%and were by posted same the accounts, adsivory and 701pictures/videos and June 2018, an average of 101 day. per videos January Between of ads 113ivory and 738pictures/ by TRAFFIC an posted average accounts media 40 social monitored JulyBetween and 2017, December in 2017. of ban) the were 27%fewer than in 2018(afterthe implementation monthly numbers of ads ivory new announcement), average the while lower than in2016(before the was 274,61% ban policy) trade announcementthe of ivory the advertisements (ads) in2017(after monthly number of ivory new internet has declined. The average availability of through ivory the Since change the of policy, the 17–38% at end the of 2017. and price the of raw declined ivory 9%inChina in 2018decreased of price 2017,the of bracelets ivory Compared to first the six months collection. purchasesivory for investment or consumers intent on making or random buyers, rather than to traditional handicrafts Chinese buyers are likely newcomers to be that accessories,the reflecting fact physicalthe market were decorative 94% of products ivory in detected before 1989. means were they manufactured were pre-Convention ivory, which 24% of products ivory the recorded of inother ivory cities fell by 19%. trade illegal the cities (56%),while of half exceeded number the inall cities—Dongxing and Pingxiang— and Hangzhou—and two third-tier cities—Chengdu,tier Chongqing, products displayed inthree second- number the surveyed, of ivory increased by 22%.Among cities the number of products ivory displayed by decreased ivory 30%,but the number2017, the of stores with conductedto in asimilar survey unauthorised shops. Compared products2,812 ivory in345 markets in23cities and found In 2018,TRAFFIC visited 157 to customers. ban policy trade ivory proactively communicating the open,from staff these shops are 69% of shops that have remained for business or, of case inthe haveshops surveyed either closed ban andtrade that confirmed all secondthe batch of ’s ivory in closed had which ivory been shops previously to licensed sell In 2018,TRAFFIC visited 71 SEPTEMBER 2018SEPTEMBER TRAFFIC BRIEFING To understand status the of implementation after in China trade ivory full the China’sof online markets were indecline (Zhao numbers of products physical inboth and prices illegally their sold being when and stores, 35%were found violating to be various regulations the on trade. Overall, ivory remaining the sale; retail stores were products ivory selling at adiscount. latter Ofthese found that of all first the batch of accredited retail stores to had ceased offer ivory for published inAugust 2017under title: the and TRAFFIC conducted a market during April survey and May 2017. The was report down first the batch of accredited ivory retail storesbefore 31st March 2017,WWF To assess to impact the ban of commercial policy this and inChina trade ivory shut before 31st December, Office 2017”(General the of State Council, 2016). manufacturers and stores were required to shut down operations selling ivory their andivory products ivory before 31st March remaining the 2017,while group of ivory batch of accredited manufacturers ivory and retail stores processing to cease and selling ofSales Ivory and Ivory Products was issued by State the Council, requesting “the first December,On 30th Circular 2016, the on Phasing out Commercial the Processing and animalsin wild and plants overall (Xu other countries and regions to strengthen actions their incracking down trade on illegal active role conservation wildlife and inglobal to have apositive influence incompelling Elephants effectively. action This bold was designed to enable China toplay a more Government Chinese the to inorder ban trade ivory to reduce threats the to African - A in FeasibilityChina Study Briefing, released by WWF and TRAFFIC,on called September 2016, identifiedChinathe leadingas destination for (Milliken, 2016). globally ivory In 2002, ETIS (Elephant Trade Information System) reports to CITEShave consistently isChina reputed one to be of world’s the largest markets for trade. Since ivory illegal I. INTRODUCTION order to understand on impact the online. of trade ban policy trade ivory the Januaryanalysis of on online period inthe trade ivory 2017to asurvey June 2018in in physical markets across country. the In addition, TRAFFIC conducted statistical to offer ivory, and to investigatethe impacts change policy the 2017 of trade on ivory January 2018.The objectives were to legal ivory checkall retail stores if had ceased ban, TRAFFIC trade ivory conducted another large-scale in market beginning survey Yu Xiao THE IVORYTRADEBANIN2018 CHINA’S IVORYMARKETAFTER An Act to Save African Elephants et al. et al. Revisiting China’s Ivory Market in 2017 , 2017). , 2016). -ABanon Commercial Ivory Trade . It was 1 TRAFFIC BRIEFING PAPER 2 TRAFFIC BRIEFING PAPER and markets specialty handicrafts), (e.g. rosewood werevisited. generallywhich have no and art antiques market, collection border markets, trade markets, wholesale souvenir industry, tourism souvenir shops and markets specialty were visited. also With to respect third-tier the cities, Guangzhou, markets were jewellery visited. the also In second the and third-tier cities with athrivingtourism and antiques markets, collection flower and bird markets culturaland products markets infirst-tier in cities; Thetypes of dependingmarket varied the city.on surveyed For example, TRAFFIC mainlyvisited the art target cities for current the market survey. of and ivory other products wildlife (Liu, 2015;Vigne and Martin, 2016).Therefore, they were includedalso as and and China exitentry between Viet ports Nam and major could be channels for smuggling transboundary urbanin the classification hierarchy China).smaller cities in These significant are particularly the as largest Xishuangbanna) were removed and replaced with Dongxing and Pingxiang, two cities at county level (i.e. lower were to 2018survey. added the third-tier Ofthe cities, three cities at prefectural the level (Pu’er, Yuxi and Taiyuan in2017)were (surveyed not visited Shenyang, in2018,while Shijiazhuang, and Dalian Tangshan of part TRAFFIC’salso consumer ivory research cities, second-tier in2017.Ofthe Suzhou, Changzhou and survey. first-tier Ofthe cities, Shenzhentarget wasas a added city for marketbut all cities other surveys, were TRAFFIC made afew changes to list the of target cities for 2018market compared the surveys with 2017 the Table in2018 of cities for 1.List visited thephysical market survey criteria of TRAFFIC's 2017report (Zhao werewhich into divided then first-tier (mega)second-tier cities, cities third-tierand cities according the to JanuaryBetween and July 2018,TRAFFIC of conducted in23major trade ivory surveys cities across China, with traders. No purchase of or ivory products wildlife other illegal was evermade during surveys. these as well as additional information on sources and origins the of products, ifpossible, in-depth conversations via shops visited in each city, and number the and of products, type ivory prices and weight of items the observed, have trade ivory recordedillegal including, been during surveys, names these and addresses of markets the and TRAFFIC conducting has since been inChina 2007.Various trade ivory market on illegal surveys details about 1) Physical markets 2. Surveyofillegalivorymarkets products; and feedback to from collect shop assistants on status the of ban policy. trade ivory the as “Accredited retail stores of products” ivory issued by State; the stores the whether have ivory selling ceased The intentions wereforthe to confirm survey these if stores have removed the display Licencenotice their of (or 81%) out of remaining the 88 stores which had stopped of sales their before ivory 31st 2017. December visited 50(or 83%)of stores, these from April to May 2017.From January to July 2018,TRAFFIC visited 71 Since first the batch of 60accredited storesivory to beforeoffer ceased ivory the end of MarchTRAFFIC 2017, 1. Revisitinglegalivorymarketoutlets II. METHODOLOGY Second-tier cities (15) Second-tier Third-tier cities (3) First-tier cities (5) Hangzhou, Nanjing, Harbin, Xi’an, Zhengzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Kunming, Xiamen, et al. Fuzhou, Nanning, Shenyang, Dalian, Shijiazhuang, Tangshan , 2017). The detailed list, 2017).The detailed of cities is shown in Table 1: Beijing, Shanghai,Beijing, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Shenzhen Xianyou(Putian), Dongxing, Pingxiang enforcement agencies operators media and social for investigation further and actions. as of Junesurveys 2018.The relevant findings tradeillegal dealers by of have alreadybeen submitted to law of product ivory advertisements, pictures and by month, posted videos two dealers days every totaling 24 Since July 2017, TRAFFIC conducted of regular relevant accounts, surveys media social recorded number the such trade. platforms, media on trade ivory of social illegal it can show in part general the characteristics and trends of operating on such platforms. While long-term the monitoring of accounts these cannotthe reflect overall status platforms monitored by accounts TRAFFIC dealer reached of afraction illegal 340,although the is this still ofcollection account information. As of June 30th number 2018,the of accounts dealer media on social through physical and online market The number surveys. of monitoredwiththe increased dealers ongoing productswildlife were dealers the when such as "friends"; added connections were with dealers often made accounts are often conducted in private, TRAFFIC could only monitor and record advertisements forillegal predicted amajor flows ivory illegal shift in on suchplatforms (Xiao In platforms emerging 2014,TRAFFIC the media recognised trend on trade wildlife of social illegal and platforms media 3) Social implementedfully 2017). (31st Dec. advertisements of before ivory and was afterpolicy thepromulgated 2016) Dec. and was (30th after policy the on considered online ban was policy inivory trade also ivory trade by comparing number the of monthly new using ameasure of number the of advertisements new for products wildlife illegal monthly. The effect the of and inXiao Wangdescribed trade trend (2015).The on differentillegal in websiteplatforms was assessed Saiga Antelope, Helmeted Hornbill, leopards, and on whales) 31website platforms, following methods survey productswildlife from eight other endangered (i.e. species rhinoceroses, , marine , turtles, could previously In legally). sold be 2017and 2018,TRAFFIC continued to monitor of trade the and ivory conducted before or afterbantrade the (which ivory applied to authorised shops,the only whereoutlets ivory It appreciated to needs be regardless inChina, online that trade ivory is illegal all of such whether transactions 2) Website platforms a timely manner prior to publication of report. this Findings of market by the TRAFFIC surveys have shared been with competent the law enforcement agencies in Nam to understand relationship better trade ivory the Viet between Nam and market. Chinese the June 2018,researchers visited cities the of Mong Cai, Ha Long as (near wellvillage Khe Hanoi) as Nhi inViet noted amajor to be source (Liu, inChina ivory of 2015;Vigne illegal and Martin, 2016).In 2017and December exploredalso the Thesupply survey China’s connectivitybetween market availability and Viet Nam, previously et al. , 2015). As activities on social media , 2015).As media on activities social 3 TRAFFIC BRIEFING PAPER 4 TRAFFIC BRIEFING PAPER

these storesthese had successfully changed products in2018(selling business their other surveyed when than ivory). operations. The remaining storeswhole had a year in2017 to futureplantheir business. Therefore, most of only afew days before store licensed had and to act, many stores didnot have enough to time change their (Figure 1).This maypartly thatbe due the fact to the Circular downto theclose first batch of stores was issued batch final 2017)inthe Dec. 30th of stores (76%)was considerablythan higher storesthe first in batch (24%). The proportion of storesthat have remained in business amongst previously licensed ivory outlets (i.e.before that stores these have ivory. to sell ceased accredited retail ivory stores implementedfully was after times banpolicy trade the several ivory and confirmed were found. Thelaw enforcementBeijing, agencies in Shanghai and citiesother havethe inspected reportedly accessories (below were 0.5g)which elephant to be suspected products, ivory no other elephant products ivory researchers identified also mammoth ivory productsbeingsold ina number of stores. from Apart some small mammoth ivory, and emerald products; jade 17(24%)retail stores while have operating. ceased TRAFFIC display notice of as Licence “Accredited their retail stores for products”, ivory and changed offering their to 2017.The 31st December results showedthat: 54(76%) retail storesthat are operatingstill have removedthe stores nationwide that have operations either ceased entirely or stopped offering elephant beforeivory forsale, Fuzhou, Putian, Nanning, Kunming, Chengdu, Chongqing and Xi’an), accounting for 81%of (88)accredited Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Harbin, Shenyang, Shijiazhuang, Dalian, Tangshan, Nanjing, Hangzhou, From January to July 2018,TRAFFIC visited 71accredited retail stores in18cities across (i.e., China, Beijing, 1. Legalivorymarket III. RESULTSANDDISCUSSION jade. One store was found to have changed to another tenant, now instead. who carpets sells productsivory any longer and recommended buy they other products, such as mammoth ivory, and emerald did not refer ban, to actively although trade ivory the they told customers that stores their donot elephant sell 2017,andDecember that store their would no longer offer such ivory forsale. The shop assistants in16 stores actively told customers intended who to buy that of ivory banned sales elephant had China fully from ivory 31st Out of 54operating the retail stores TRAFFIC visited 2018survey, inthe shop assistants in37stores (69%) surveys Figure 1.The proportion stores legal of changing their operations or inthe2017 shuttingand 2018 assessed down,

Number 1 1 2 2 3 3 Number Number of advertisements 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Av 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 e 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

r Number

1 2 3 4 5 6 a transformation 0 0 0 0 0 0 i g v 0 2017-04-24 0 0 0 0 0 0 e o 5 r

Number Acc 8 d 38 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 y 2

2017-07-14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 a p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 n e i i 4 l ct sso y u 2017-07-24 2 u 4

2017 m v 4 8 r J r a e a 7 i b 2017-08-14 e s l 6 n u e

s 3 a u 1 e r 5 a n

2017-08-24 a 8

7 nd

1 o d r shut down d 12 y

1 f 4 4 v u - 2017-09-14 o 3 D i 9 i 4 d r v rna 0 e i e 5 6 o n ce o 9

2017-09-24 3 r g 3 s 8 m 5 y m

6 3 J

e a u

2017-10-14 b 5 5 n 2 d e l % - ts 9 r v 4 D ,

2017-10-24 1 1

e 2

4 e 0 r 3 0 1 c. ti 5 1 2017-11-10 1 i 0 Ar 6 s

3 v 2 e 0 o 4 2 ti 0

2017-11-24 % I m r 2 v 6 cles y 1 J 7 o a e a 7 2 2017-12-10 n r n 2 d M u y 8

0 v of t a 1 e s 6

2017-12-24 o r r 94% d y 1 n 1 ti M 2

- a % 3 s t D P Av 5 ily

2018-01-10 h e 3 T e o e 2 2 m o ce r 7 7 e n u i e t 4 o

2018-01-24 8 1 s r t m a n n e a d 7 h t l u b g s 1 2018-02-10 1 e m e 2 r

2 7 d 2 b O

2018-02-24 5 transformation 0 1 a e th 0 1 8 i r l 7 3 e y 2018-03-10 o 2 17 r

2 v f 9 I

7 多项式 2 te a i 2018-03-24 2 v 1 3 l ms u o 8 4 1 2018 J e r 2018-04-10 a

1 8 y n 7 d 2 u p u 2018-04-25 2 ( a i 3 i 4 r v ct La r 8 i o y 2 n 54 shut down 2

2018-05-10 - u r r 6 J 0 2 g y g u r 1

e 5 7 a e 5 n J

2018-05-25 4 d 0 i a e s 0 te v n

2 1 2 8 a e ms 7

. 2018-06-10 0 n r - 5 1 7 ti 1 J d u 8 s 9 9

e 2018-06-25 4 n v 4 m i . 1 1 1 1 1 2 d 2 4 6 8 0

6 e 2 0 2 4 6 8 0 0 0 0 0 e n 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o t 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 s s ) 8

6 3

Number 0

in aretail store inPingxiang Figure large discovered 2.The number products of ivory Table 2017and 2018 between physical markets inChina ivory results of illegal 2.Summary for increased by sale 22%. number of outlets that offered had illegally reduced ivory by 30%; the yet number of ivory products observed in 2018remained essentially unchanged, but number the of markets visited in2018increased by 26%.The illegally, products 2,812ivory while were recorded (Table 2).Compared to number 2017,the of cities visited In 2018,TRAFFIC visited 157markets in23cities across Atotal China. of 354outlets were found ivory to sell of the2.1.1 Size illegal productmarket ivory 2.1 Physical markets 2. Illegalivorymarkets chanced upon shop-owner the presenting dozens of products ivory to customers (Figure 2). Xishuangbanna that were in2017.In handicrafts arosewood surveyed shop in Pingxiang,the investigators cities were found to offer many ivory products, much morethreethethan in cities those of Yuxi, Pu’er and of Dongxing and Pingxiang. As major the cross-border channels for smuggling of products, wildlife two the 2) TRAFFIC visited 157markets in23cities in2018,representing an increase of 32markets, or 26%; 1) growthThe the in number of ivory products offeredmarkets in surveyed was mainly due to two factors: TH TH e increase inthenumber ofe increase markets visited. e mix of cities visited in 2018 reflects the current the e mix of cities in2018 reflects visited situationChina, in 2018 2017 Year Number of cities visited 23 22 Number of markets visited While only 125markets in22cities were visited in2017, 157 125

©WWF/TRAFFIC/YU XIAO products found survey. inthe Third-tier cities had 8% the of total number of ivory in 56markets of first-tier cities, or 23% the of total. cities. There wereivory illegal products 635 found or nearly (48%)of half total the number the inall (69%) of total the number cities, insecond-tier reached 1,357,accounting for more than two thirds in Chengdu, Chongqing and Hangzhou markets cities,tier number the products ivory of illegal found cities (Figure 15second- 3).Ofthe surveyed in all of total the number products ivory of illegal found in 87markets of cities, second-tier representing 70% A total products ivory of 1,959 illegal were detected selling illegal ivory illegal selling Number of outlets 354 503 particularly forparticularly inclusion the ivory productsivory (pieces) Number of illegal found inmarket 2,812 2,307 5 TRAFFIC BRIEFING PAPER 6 TRAFFIC BRIEFING PAPER from Viet Nam. were processed inSuzhou. in Dongxing sellers the All and Pingxiang claimed products ivory their were sourced definitionwhich often refers to Fujian orGuangdong provinces; nine outlets mentioned their ivory products in Fujian Province; five sourcedoutlets from Guangzhou; 12 sourcedoutlets from southern cities in China, a 51 (14%)didso. Among from sellers them, 19outlets mentioned products ivory their were sourced from Putian of productsSellers ivory new were cautious very in answering questions about source the of products: their only products Sources of ivory Table 4.Number in2018 products found and percentage ivory inphysical of market surveys and old new products ivory the all fact, recorded inthird-tier cities were acquired ivory new inrecent years. report. The proportion of ivory new products found in markets 76%(Table reached this during survey 4). In acquired afterbannedwhen CITES 1989, internationaltrade in ivory, arenew defined as thisivory in products investigators’the relates which experience, stocks the inwhich were to period the acquired. Ivory products Ivory can generally characterised as "old" being be or stocks, "new" according to market inthe sellers and products ivory andOld new of illegal products 2.1.2 Characteristics ivory survey. products market per was larger, as two the border cities of Dongxing and Pingxiang were included newly inthe productsivory market per was only nine pieces. As for third-tier the cities, average the number ivory of illegal However, excluding when three the cities of Chengdu, Chongqing and Hangzhou, average the number of illegal cities numbers the across while in 2018 decreased; China cities in second-tier remained generally unchanged. Compared to results the average in2017, the number products ivory of market illegal per first-tier inthe 2017and 2018 between China Table third-tiersecond-and physical markets cities infirst, across ivory results for of illegal 3.Comparison survey Second-tier cities Second-tier Third-tier cities First-tier cities Second-tier cities Second-tier Third-tier cities First-tier cities Year Total Number of markets 2017 22 70 33 Number of old ivory visited products 2018 686 495 191 14 87 56 0 selling illegal ivory illegal selling Number of outlets 2017 350 134 19 Number of ivory new 2018 234 111 9 products 2,126 1,464 218 444 Number of illegal 1761 2017 ivory productsivory 513 33 observed 1959 2018 218 635 Percentage of products ivory new in total products ivory ivory productsivory market per Average number of illegal 2017 25 16 2 100% 76% 75% 70% 2018 16 23 11 Miscellaneous: raw and ivory other items usage could whose not identified. be weights, whole etc. tusk carvings, Large items for holders, pen display: portraits, court lady statue, Guanyin statue, bird cages, paper- magic balls, combs, name snuffbottles, seals, dishware (with handles),ivory etc.; articles forSmall daily chopsticks, use: cigarette holders, boxes boxes small cases, (cosmetic for goods), sundry handcrafts,Chinese etc.; ornamentsSmall and accessories:rings, bangles, pendants, necklaces, bracelets, links, and bead traditional intodivided four types: products, tusks carved while orbe raw wererare. ivory very The ivory itemsthe in markets could be generally As physical the markets that TRAFFIC visited mainly targeted products end-users, ivory the found tended to Types items of ivory Chengdu, where many Tibetan merchants old sold Tibetan-style products ivory antique inthe markets. Europe, were mainly found in first-tier cities,while old ivory products originating in Tibetan areas were found in including Europe and . Ivory products imported into from China countries including US, Japanthe and products. Many divulged that such old stocks were mainly derived from Tibetan areas or overseas markets, With to respect old ivory, were sellers the less sensitive about providing information about source the of ivory Figure 3.Various productsoffered ivory in forsale Viet Nam andsellers, delivered to buyer’s the home courier. via and body back totheir taken through China Customs, large while items ivory sent could be to Dongxing by the also suggested They that small items of ivory, if no morethan 10 be couldconcealedpieces, passengersby on that most of customers their were and Chinese, many of owners the and shop assistants Chinese. could speak onlywhile word the for “souvenirs” was written inVietnamese. Some 38out of inViet 43sellers Nam revealed available inViet Nam (Figure 3).In some stores, labels and signboards written had term“ivory” the inChinese, 2017andDecember June 2018,found that alarge number of products, ivory including raw products, ivory were conductedSurveys Vietnamese inthe cities of Mong and Cai Ha Long, (near and village Hanoi), Khe Nhi in

©WWF/TRAFFIC/YU XIAO

©WWF/TRAFFIC/YU XIAO

©WWF/TRAFFIC/YU XIAO 7 TRAFFIC BRIEFING PAPER 8 TRAFFIC BRIEFING PAPER Table of 5.Comparison prices for productsin2017and 2018(inCNY) ivory price5), the of bangles (n=35)in2018dropped, that while of pendants ivory (n=34)was unchanged. without any significant changes. the Taking most common items:bangles pendantsand ivory as examples (Table Compared to average 2017,the prices of items ivory markets inend-user in2018remained relatively stable, of items ivory 2.1.3 Price such items from physical markets. have deterred many also from sellers operating illegally.perhaps This decline a the demand in also reflects for greater risks and ifcaught penalties with large, heavy and valuable items. Strengthened law enforcement efforts investments. Finally, large items ivory hand-carved were inphysical seldom seen markets. facemuch Dealers typically made from new, machine-processed ivory, such items have no significant value in collections art or as ily as ornaments, much more than for so daily use. As ornamental these or daily items use tendand small to be to some extent, demonstrates that consumers tend to buy products ivory inphysical markets for primar use number of products ivory identifiedthrough the survey, while ivory items fordaily made use up only 5%.This, Figure 4shows large the number of ornaments ivory and accessories found, accounting for 94%of total the customers. Viet Nam, TRAFFIC found that some with sellers large stockpiles have to tout begun raw materials to ordinary processing ivory of illegal the chain appear demand falling the experiencing to be for ivory. in surveys the During Although price the of items ivory markets inend-user remained relatively stable, engaged those upper inthe levels

Second-tier cities Second-tier Third-tier cities First-tier cities

Average

Year Figure 4. Ratio of different types of illegal ivory Figureitems of 4.Ratio ivory different found in market illegal physical in2018 of types

Number 1 1 2 2 3 3 Number Number of advertisements 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Av 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 e 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

r Number

1 2 3 4 5 6 a transformation 0 0 0 0 0 0 i g v 0 2017-04-24 0 0 0 0 0 0 e o 5 r

Number Acc 8 d 38 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 y 2

2017-07-14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 a p 3,695 (n=33) 4,421 (n=14) 3,911 (n=47) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 n e i i 4 l ct sso y u 2017-07-24 2 u 4

2017 m v 2017 N/A 4 8 r J r a e a 7 i b 2017-08-14 e s l 6 n u e

s 3 a u 1 e r 5 a n

2017-08-24 a 8

7 nd

1 o d r shut down d 12 y

1 f 4 4 v u - 2017-09-14 o 3 D i 9 i 4 d r v rna 0

Bangles e i e 5 6 o n ce o 9

2017-09-24 3 r g 3 s 8 m 5 y m

6 3 J

e a u

2017-10-14 b 5 5 n 2 d e l % - ts 9 r v 4 D ,

2017-10-24 1 1

e 2

4 e 0 3,562 (n=35) 3,825 (n=24) r 3 0 1 3,262 (n=8) 2,266 (n=3) c. ti 5 1 2017-11-10 1 i 0 Ar 6 s

3 v 2 e 0 o 2018 4 2 ti 0

2017-11-24 % I m r 2 v 6 cles y 1 J 7 o a e a 7 2 2017-12-10 n r n 2 d M u y 8

0 v of t a 1 e s 6

2017-12-24 o r r 94% d y 1 n 1 ti M 2

- a % 3 s t D P Av 5 ily

2018-01-10 h e 3 T e o e 2 2 m o ce r 7 7 e n u i e t 4 o

2018-01-24 8 1 s r t m a n n e a d 7 h t l u b g s 1 2018-02-10 1 e m e 2 r

2 7 d 2 b O

2018-02-24 5 transformation 0 1 a e 32(n=39) th 32 (n=34) 0 1 8 30 (n=5) i r l 7 3 e y 2018-03-10 o 2 2017 N/A 17 r

2 v f 9 I

7 多项式 2 te a i 2018-03-24 2 v 1 3 l ms u o 8 4 1 2018 J e r 2018-04-10 a

1 8 y Ivory pendants n 7 d 2 u p u 2018-04-25 2 ( a i 3 i 4 r v ct La r 8 i o y 2 n 54 shut down 2

2018-05-10 - u r r 6 J 0 2 g y g u r 1

e 5 7 a e 5 n J

2018-05-25 4 d 0 i a e s 0 te v n

2 1 2 8 a e ms 7

. 2018-06-10 0 n r - 5 1 7 ti 1 J 32.4 (n=22) 33.0 (n=34) d 34.5 (n=8) u 8 s 9 9 33 (n=4)

e 2018-06-25 4 n v 4 m i 2018 . 1 1 1 1 1 2 d 2 4 6 8 0

6 e 2 0 2 4 6 8 0 0 0 0 0 e n 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o t 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 s s ) 8

6 3

Number 0

-

2 1 advertisements lower was still than overall the average figure theduring 18 monthperiod. total inMarch 2017.Although figure the therebounded in following months,the monthly number of ivory new reached lowest 78were their 2017when inOctober posted, some point 16%of period the during survey this numberin the of monthly advertisements ivory inApril new occurred 2017.New advertisements ivory gradually 31st March for 2017deadline first the batch of accredited retail sellingoutlets ivory,to cease a noticeable decline respectively were recorded, highest the monthly totals However, during 18-month the period. survey following the monthper on average. In months the January and March 2017,atotal of 487and advertisements ivory 490new 5. Atotal of advertisements ivory 4,485new were recorded during 18-month the with 250advertisements period, The monthlytrend for advertisements ivory new period theduring January 2017 to June 2018 is shown inFigure results from website2.2. Survey platforms by 17%-38%by 2018. first kg in the 1165) per half of 2017(Zhao by Customs China inrecent smuggling nationwide cases atChina price ahigher of CNY5,000(USD728)afigure kg, per consistentwiththe stated price confiscatedof ivory that might confiscated goods the be when crossing China-Vietthe Namborder, couldseller transportthe them to delivered to in-country Mong Cai, at aprice of CNY4,000(USD582) However, kg. per buyer ifthe was worried In 2017, one in December Ha seller Long city, Viet Nam, claimed she owned 800 kg of tusks ivory that could be Customs confiscated 280 kg ivory nationwide from January to May 2018 http://nanjing.customs.gov.cn/customs/302249/mtjj35/1894140/index.html 2018 May to http://nanjing.customs.gov.cn/customs/302249/mtjj35/1894140/index.html January from nationwide ivory kg 280 confiscated Customs Nanning Customs confiscated 368.5 kg ivory at the end of 2017of end http://www.sofreight.com/news_22728.html the at ivory kg 368.5 confiscated Customs Nanning June 2018 Figure 5.Monthly trend advertisements online from inthenumber ivory of January 2017to new et al. , 2017), this suggests, 2017), this a decline price inthe of raw in China ivory 1,2 . Compared to price the of CNY6,000-8000(USD873- 9 TRAFFIC BRIEFING PAPER

10 TRAFFIC BRIEFING PAPER

trade online.trade compared to 2017,suggesting had apositive that ban influence policy trade ivory the in reducing ivory illegal inplace,ban monthly the had been average number of advertisements new on website platforms dropped by 27% was inprogress. from January period the During implementation to June full the inwhich 2018,aperiod of the advertisementsivory on website platforms declined by 61%in2017as implementation the of ban policy trade the 1,203, with amonthly average of 201advertisements. As Figure 6shows, monthly the average number of new fromadvertisements. January period the During to June total 2018, the number of advertisements new reached 2017). This compareswithwhere 2017, a total of 3,282 advertisements were found,with an average monthly 274 ivory transactions.ivory implementationfull of ban and trade ivory the publicity by various are Some sellers parties. no longer involved in andother species wildlife comparatively lower levels of advertisements new for ivory.possibly This was due the to difference in proportionsbetween 2018 and 2017 is largedue in part to a resurgence advertisements in new for 2018, with making ivory up just 35% of total the advertisements new for products. nine species all The marked monitoredbeing for through sale website platforms. This proportion shifted considerably the in first half of In advertisements 2017,new for each month ivory accounted for 73% of nine the ’ products advertisements were found on 31 website platforms, with an average monthly 698 advertisements (Xiao capture was first from policy the when promulgated period the implementation.to full its In 2016,a total of 8,372 for number the of monthly advertisements ivory new in2016,2017and first half year of 2018 were to assessed To understand impact the on on trade ivory website platforms as aresult of ban policy, trade ivory the records

Number 1 1 2 2 3 3 Number Number of advertisements 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Av 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 January 2016to June 2018 Figure 6.Trend inthemonthly advertisements average during number ivory theperiod of new e 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

r Number

1 2 3 4 5 6 a transformation 0 0 0 0 0 0 i g v 0 2017-04-24 0 0 0 0 0 0 e o 5 r

Number Acc 8 d 38 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 y 2

2017-07-14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 a p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 n e i i 4 l ct sso y u 2017-07-24 2 u 4

2017 m v 4 8 r J r a e a 7 i b 2017-08-14 e s l 6 n u e

s 3 a u 1 e r 5 a n

2017-08-24 a 8

7 nd

1 o d r shut down d 12 y

1 f 4 4 v u - 2017-09-14 o 3 D i 9 i 4 d r v rna 0

e i e 5 6 o n ce o 9

2017-09-24 3 r g 3 s 8 m 5 y m

6 3 J

e a u

2017-10-14 b 5 5 n 2 d e l % - ts 9 r v 4 D ,

2017-10-24 1 1

e 2

4 e 0 r 3 0 1 c. ti 5 1 2017-11-10 1 i 0 Ar 6 s

3 v 2 e 0 o 4 2 ti 0

2017-11-24 % I m r 2 v 6 cles y 1 J 7

o a e a 7 2 2017-12-10 n r n 2 d M u y 8

0 v of t a 1 e s 6

2017-12-24 o r r 94% d y 1 n 1 ti M 2

- a % 3 s t D P Av 5 ily

2018-01-10 h e 3 T e o e 2 2 m o ce

r 7 7 e n u i e t 4

o

2018-01-24 8 1 s r t m a n n e a d 7 h t l u b g s 1 2018-02-10 1 e m e 2 r

2 7 d 2 b O

2018-02-24 5 transformation 0 1 a e th 0 1 8 i r l 7 3 e y 2018-03-10 o 2 17 r

2 v f 9 I

7 多项式 2 te a i 2018-03-24 2 v 1 3 l ms u o 8 4 1 2018 J e r 2018-04-10 a

1 8 y

n 7 d 2

u p u 2018-04-25 2 ( a i 3 i 4 r v ct La r 8 i o y 2 n 54 shut down 2

2018-05-10 - u r r 6 J 0 2 g y g u r 1

e 5 7 a e 5 n J

2018-05-25 4 d 0 i a e s 0 te v n

2 1 2 8 a e ms 7

. 2018-06-10 0 n r - 5 1 7 ti 1 J d u 8 s 9 9

e 2018-06-25 4 n v 4 m i . 1 1 1 1 1 2 d 2 4 6 8 0

6 e 2 0 2 4 6 8 0 0 0 0 0 e n 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o t 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 s s ) 8

6 3

Number 0 et al.

,

2.2. Survey results from website2.2. Survey platforms

January 2017to June 2018 Figure of during 7.Comparison advertisements monthly theperiod for new and ninespecies ivory Figure 8.Trend platforms media advertisements, on inthenumber of pictures social ivory and videos

Number 1 1 2 2 3 3 Number Number of advertisements 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Av 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 e 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

r Number

1 2 3 4 5 6 a transformation 0 0 0 0 0 0 i g v 0 2017-04-24 0 0 0 0 0 0 e o 5 r

Number Acc 8 d 38 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 y 2

2017-07-14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 a p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 n e i i 4 l ct sso y u 2017-07-24 2 u 4

2017 m v 4 8 r J r a e a 7 i b 2017-08-14 e s l 6 n u e

s 3 a u 1 e r 5 a n

2017-08-24 a 8

7 nd

1 o d r shut down d 12 y

1 f 4 4 v u - 2017-09-14 o 3 D i 9 i 4 d r v rna 0

e i e 5 6 o n ce o 9

2017-09-24 3 r g 3 s 8 m 5 y m

6 3 J

e a u

2017-10-14 b 5 5 n 2 d e l % - ts 9 r v 4 D ,

2017-10-24 1 1

e 2

4 e 0 r 3 0 1 c. ti 5 1 2017-11-10 1 i 0 Ar 6 s

3 v 2 e 0 o 4 2 ti 0

2017-11-24 % I m r 2 v 6 cles y 1 J 7

o a e a 7 2 2017-12-10 n r n 2 d M u y 8

0 v of t a 1 e s 6

2017-12-24 o r

r 94% d y 1 n 1 ti M 2

- a % 3 s t D P Av 5 ily

2018-01-10 h e 3 T e o e 2 2 m o ce

r 7 7 e n u i e t 4

o

2018-01-24 8 1 s r t m a

n n e a d 7 h t l u b g

s 1 2018-02-10 1 e m e 2 r

2 7 d 2 b O

2018-02-24 5 transformation 0 1 a e th 0 1 8 i r l 7 3 e y 2018-03-10 o 2 17 r

2 v f 9 I

7 多项式 2 te a i 2018-03-24 2 v 1 3 l ms u o 8 4 1 2018 J e r 2018-04-10 a

1 8 y

n 7 d 2

u p u 2018-04-25 2 ( a i 3 i 4 r v ct La r 8 i o y 2 n 54 shut down 2

2018-05-10 - u r r 6 J 0 2 g y g u r 1

e 5 7

a e 5 n J

2018-05-25 4 d 0 i a e s 0 te v n

2 1 2 8 a e ms 7

. 2018-06-10 0 n r - 5 1 7 ti 1 J d u 8 s 9 9

e 2018-06-25 4 n v 4 m i . 2 1 1 1 1 1 d 8 6 4 2 0

6 e 2 0 8 6 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 e n 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o t 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 s s ) 8

6 3

Number 0

11 TRAFFIC BRIEFING PAPER 2017 2018

12 17

38 54

transformation shut down transformation shut down

0% 1% 5%

94%

Accessories and ornaments Articles of daily use Other Items Large items

600

500 487 490

400 357 r 353 350 e b

m 300 291 u N 242 254 227 221 200 206 194 183 175 133 127 117 100 78

0

Month

800 698 700

600

500 r e b

m 400 u N 300 274 201 200

100

0 January-December, 2016 January-December 2017 January-June 2018 Period

900 794 s t 800 n e

m 700 618 606 630 e 582 s 600 ti 508 r 482 e 500 445 441 v 424 365 386 a d 346 400 f 281 292 o

252 250

r 300

e 171 b 200 m

u 100 N 0

Month

Ivory Total

Results of semi-monthly surveys on social media platforms during July 2017 to June 2018 (24 surveys in total) identified an average of 137 ivory advertisements/posts as well as 903 pictures and videos per survey (Figure 8). These surveys350 also indicated that the number of ivory advertisements, pictures and videos2 0posted00 between November 2017 and February 2018 saw a temporary decrease, reaching the lowest point on 10th1 8February00 2018. 300 Only 69 advertisements, 458 pictures and videos of illegal ivory items were recorded in the February1600 2018 survey. This coincided250 with a big move on the part of China’s internet industry — the establishment of the1 4“China00 Alliance r of Internet Companies to Combat Wildlife Cybercrime” (the Alliance), which was jointly initiated1200 by r the three e 200 e b China-based internet giants—Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent—in November 2017. Social media operatorsb took m 1000 m u strong actions15 to0 control illegal on their platforms before and after the establishment of theu Alliance. N 800 N The Chinese internet companies within the Alliance subsequently joined a global initiative, the Global Coalition 600 to End Wildlife100 Trafficking Online, in March 2018, which has made a collective commitment to taking effective 400 actions to prevent50 and control illegal online trade information. Overall, there has been considerable progress in 200 understanding the spread of illegal wildlife trade information online3. 0 0 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 0 4 0 4 0 4 0 4 0 4 0 5 0 5 0 5 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 ------

To control for the influence4 7 7 8 of8 new9 9 social0 0 media1 1 accounts,2 2 1 1 an 2 analysis2 3 3 of 4 postings4 5 from5 6 a6 set of 40 accounts 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ------7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 that have been monitored since the first survey was conducted.8 8 8 On8 average,8 8 8 the8 408 accounts8 8 8 posted 113 ivory 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 advertisements and 738 pictures and videos per day during2 the2 period2 2 July2 2 to2 December2 2 2 2017.2 2 From January to June 2018, these accountsivory pic postedtures an d101 vid eivoryos advertisementsivory adverti andseme 702nts pictures多 and项式 videos(ivory a perdver day,tisem ae nslightts) decrease of 11% and 5% compared to the second half of 2017.

800 738 702 700

600

500 r e b

m 400 u N 300

200 113 101 100

0 number of ivory advertisements number of ivory pictures and videos

Average daily value during Jul-Dec. 2017 Average daily value during Jan.-Jun. 2018

Figure 9. Change in average daily number of ivory advertisements and pictures and videos from 40 target social media accounts

3Leading Tech Companies Unite to Stop Wildlife Traffickers. https://www.traffic.org/news/leading-tech-companies-unite-to-stop-wildlife-traffickers/ 4 products of values, higher such as carnelian, turquoise, and jade amber. handicrafts,Chinese andwithgreater knowledge couldgravitatethey and experience towards other luxury market.the For others, however, could ivory represent arelatively inexpensive into entry world the of traditional or as gifts for others. However,groupthis be lesswould likely seek to out if ivory it was not commonly found in find ivory items attractive and relatively inexpensive, andtypically purchase these items as common ornaments fashion rather needs, than for as collectibles investment or collections. art purposes These buyers are likely to This showsthat most the of purchases in physical markets are fairly generic contemporaryproductsthat serve The majority of ivory items in physical markets are ornaments and accessories, accounting for 94% the of total. transported, donated or inherited. only marked be before displayed can be they (only in non-commercial premises or locations, like museums), misunderstanding, China’s domestic policy. trade ivory Even for products ivory from sources, legal can they products, old both and new, appear and sellers ivory is illegal, these deliberately to be violating, rather than just old the was not trade ivory subject to regulations the of ban. the In commercial the fact, of trade any ivory directly contributethese Elephant to African the crisis, and were they under impression the that Many of had sellers wrongly the assumed that ban was trade ivory targeted the only at stocks, ivory new as About 24%of items ivory recorded were found survey inthe old to stocks ivory be (acquired before 1975). should key areas the be for market monitoring, law enforcement and awareness raising campaigns future. inthe cities including Chengdu, Chongqing and Hangzhou, as well as third-tier the cities of Dongxing and Pingxiang, than five the cities mentioned above fell by 19% compared to 2017. findingsThese suggest second-tier that and Pingxiang) accounted for 8%of total the number. However, number the of products ivory inother sold Hangzhou accounted for nearly (48%)of half that total; the while of two third-tier border cities (i.e. Dongxing numberthe of products ivory found three in the emerging cities second-tier of Chengdu, Chongqing and number the them, of products ivory found cities in second-tier accounted for 70%of total. the More specifically, 30%less thanbe number the recorded total the number in2017,while of items ivory increased by 22%.Among In physical the market for current the survey report, number the of stores elephant sold which was ivory found to mammoth ivory. items inastore, sold some may sellers continuing be elephant to sell illegally, ivory of under guise the it being intoivory mammoth legal the market. ivory Since it is hardly possible for law enforcement officials toall check consumers and law enforcement officials todifferentiatebetween the two, therefore and laundering elephant haveivory inopen display seen Such been during are sellers surveys. presumably banking on inability the of different materials and ivorieswhen displayed, larger while that carvings spliced maypartly include elephant displays. Furthermore, and accessories, such small beads separators as small elephantbetween and ivory mammoth ivory, as well as mixing the of mammoth and elephant ivories intheir by law enforcement authorities. market inthe Sellers have found been intentionally to obscure difference the incomparison pales trade to elephant the trade, with ivory much less attention given to mammoth trade ivory numberin the of stores offering mammoth ivory products. This isa concern as oversight the of mammoth ivory Following domestic the ban, some consumer demand appears to have shifted to mammoth ivory,with an increase ban policy.trade information may mislead easily consumers and could compromise effective the implementation the of ivory of some antiques markets, status the of shops these as nationally accredited stores ivory remained. still Such to have “nationally accredited store” ivory notices erected on premises. their Furthermore, on signboards the operationtheir mammoth to sell ivory, emerald, or jade other products. However, some outlets were found still by selling ivory 2017.While 31st the some December outlets had shut down altogether, other outlets had shifted outlets that of items sales ivory TRAFFIC visited all had inaccordance ceased with government’s the ban on In of outlets our surveys that previously conducted business, ivory legal it was found that 71accredited all retail IV. CONCLUSIONS i.e. separators between two beads of a bracelet. It is very small, relatively inexpensive, and difficult to distinguish whether it is elephant or mammoth ivory. mammoth or elephant is it whether distinguish to difficult and inexpensive, relatively small, very It is abracelet. of beads two between separators i.e. 4 , are mixed inabundle with 13 TRAFFIC BRIEFING PAPER 14 TRAFFIC BRIEFING PAPER TRAFFIC) by account (collected QR media codes social with Figure 11.Business of cards Vietnamese sellers previous products wildlife on posts as to illegal so avoid detection. once is collected, promptly shared amongst and sellers agents to remove advertisements/posts, their and delete law enforcement agencies on combating focused Intelligence crimes. wildlife about enforcement operations, agencies. Meanwhile, research showed that some kept sellers watch aclose on latest the information concerning operators anderratically media posted deleted, of inspection the to seemingly evade social and law enforcement other web platforms, advertisements media e.g. e-commerce for products wildlife Social sellers. illegal are often platforms were found also more to be cautious and sensitive during current the survey, compared with on sellers January to June from 2018decreased average the media number on Sellers during social earlier surveys. The average number advertisements,of ivory as well as pictures platformsmedia andvideos, social on during website platforms along with efforts their to eliminatetrade. ivory illegal website managers and law enforcement agencies not to overlook of trade the other endangered on species productsspecies such as rhino horn and bone to has rebound begun in2018,hence it is important for monitoredbeing declined to 35%in2018, from also 73%in2017.In contrast, inother trade the endangered and 27%in2017and 2018respectively.percentage The advertisementsof ivory among ninethose other species Compared to average 2016, the number of monthly advertisements ivory new on web platforms dropped by 61% items, e.g., ivory, rhino horn, , etc. are confiscatedalong trade this route (TRAFFIC, 2012-2018). significantpoint of supply for into ivory market.Chinese the Each year,large a quantity of endangered species enforcement agencies, such as Customs, Forest Police and Border Policethat confirmed has also Viet Nam is a by courier or by other means to ongoing meet demandseizure The inChina. informationivory thelaw of items wildlife illegal is smuggled into through China channel this and transported to different parts China of channel Mong is inplace between CaiinViet Nam and Dongxing, Alarge China. amount of and ivory other From of border the surveys markets and inChina Viet Nam, that it surmised can amature be smuggling

©WWF/TRAFFIC/YU XIAO Based on survey results on survey in neighbouringBased Viet Nam, products are found. to relevantcases law enforcement agencies ifsuch illegal products wildlife ofdelivery illegal and actively to report products.wildlife participants The the pledged to reject law,in the and to enhance ability their inidentifying illegal awareness for frontline couriers about recent the changes workshop was held inDongxing inMay 2018,to raise ZTO Express, Express, Best and Yunda Express. One such including EMS,SF Express, STO Express, Express, YTO companiescourier inborder service areas with Viet Nam, organising training workshops targeting managers of To counteract such practices, TRAFFIC has begun products buyer to Chinese the courier (Zhang, via 2017). from Viet Nam into Dongxing, and China, delivering these responsible for products wildlife smuggling illegal the When atransaction is made, Vietnamese are sellers often products directed at can be prospective these consumers. accounts, that so and posts advertisements for wildlife illegal induce tourists Chinese to as addthem “friends” on these phone numbers were to register used accounts. also They products (Figure illegally 11).Typically, Vietnamese mobile platforms media active on social Chinese to wildlife trade TRAFFIC found that numerous Vietnamese are sellers also 8. Law enforcement agencies are recommended to strengthen publicity interceptions, concerning wildlife illegal companies and to7. Logistics need organise courier inChina service training for activities staff their on 6. Member companies of to Coalition End Global the Wildlife TraffickingOnlineneed to step their crackdown up 5. As Viet Nam is one of major the source areas for products ivory illegal law the inChina, enforcement agencies 4. As cities the of Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Dongxing and Pingxiang were identified as major areas for 3. As inphysical for trade ivory illegal markets, monitoring and law enforcement of regulations to needs be 2. Since inmammoth trade the ivory, as an alternative to elephant ivory, increased significantly after the ivory 1. The State Forestry and Grassland Administration (SFGA) and other relevant agencies tocontinueneed to V. RECOMMENDATIONS behavior, are inreducing pertinent all insatiable the lure of profitsfromtrade. be wildlife made to illegal representstrade aminor offence, as educating well as the public aboutthe consequences of such criminal deterrence. Emphasis on of severity and the crimes wildlife counteracting that wildlife thinking the illegal arrests, court convictions and for penalties and crimes, wildlife raise public awareness about to this increase productwildlife consignments, and generally help reduce risk of involvement their trade. inillegal trade. They are also requested actively to lawto report enforcement agencies about cases known of illegal and deliveries rejecting products, wildlife of illegal and to cut offtransportationthe element illicit wildlife of products wildlife identifying illegal in order to raise awareness their and improve ability their in identifying and work together to combat cybercrimes. wildlife and continue WWF will to promote more online companies to join TheAlliance Coalitionand/or the Global shared with law enforcement agencies for to them appropriate take actions against perpetrators. the TRAFFIC platforms and enhance co-operation the among members. Information regarding online trafficking be must trade, discover ivory on illegal and delete promptly advertisements products wildlife on illegal on own their border on crimes smuggling. wildlife provide information to law the enforcement agencies two in the countries and help combat them cross- crack down jointly on cross-border smuggling of wildlife. In operators media process, this social to need in border areas of and China Viet Nam should enhance information exchange and intelligence sharing to regulate market, the combat and trade ivory strengthen illegal publicity about ban. trade ivory the trade, law ivory enforcementillegal agencies cities are inthese recommended to immediate take actionto probabilitythe of consumers encountering products. ivory illegal products,ivory old both and new, are not allowed displayed to be for market, inthe sale inorder to reduce of physical markets should explicitly be required to comply with and promote policy, the highlighting that all enhanced, and publicity amplified to needs for be ban policy further. trade ivory the Operators and managers advertisements, and crack down on practice of the mixing up elephant and mammoth ivories for sales. clearly difference the between elephant ivory and mammoth ivory, eliminatesome misleading commercial standards on mammoth at trade ivory earliest the possible juncture. These regulations todefineneed ban, competent the trade authorities or relevant associations industry are recommended to strengthen order to uncover and combat inelephant trade and ivory commodities wildlife other effectively; illegal aboutdealers conditions the of policy. the An effective public systemreporting be established should also in general public purchase the inrejecting of products, ivory and to provide clarification to ivory and antiques enhance efforts to banpolicy,trade publicisethe ivory to eradicatetrade completely, ivory illegal the to guide 15 TRAFFIC BRIEFING PAPER 16 TRAFFIC BRIEFING PAPER paper. August 2017. Zhao Y. K.,Xu Y. L.,Xiao Guan J. and Lau W. (2017) November 18th newgx5a0fda6f-16677544.shtml?pcview=1 2017. Guangxi[in Chinese] News Nanguo Morning Post http://www.gxnews.com.cn/staticpages/20171118/ Zhang W. H.(2017).Alarge of case smuggling and rare selling products wildlife uncovered inGuangxi Trade AFeasibility inChina. StudySeptember Briefing. 2016. Xu, Y., Xiao, Y., Guan, J. and Xu, L. (2016). An Act to Save Elephants African – A Ban on Commercial Ivory and WWFBriefing Paper. March 2015. Xiao, Y. and Wang, J. (2015). 2016. TRAFFIC Briefingpaper. May 2017. Xiao, Y., Guan, J. and Xu, L.(2017). Nairobi, Kenya. Vigne, L.and Martin, E.(2016). home/2018/3/7/leading-tech-companies-unite-to-stop-wildlife-traffickers.html7th March 2018. TRAFFIC Tech (2018).Leading Companies Unite to Stop Wildlife Traffickers, http://www.traffic.org/ home/2017/11/22/chinese-internet-giants-launch-alliance-to-combat-wildlife-c.html 22nd November 2017. internetTRAFFIC (2017).Chinese giants launch allianceto combat http://www.traffic.org/ cybercrime, wildlife office. http://www.trafficchina.org/digests/97 TRAFFIC (2012–2018). Selangor, Malaysia. Stiles, D. (2008). forestry.gov.cn/main/4461/content-960596.html March 24th 2017. Processing and of Sales Ivory and Ivory Products out Phased be Shall inBatches http://www. [inChinese]. State Forestry AdministrationList (2017)The of Accredited Processors and StoresCommercial Whose http://www.forestry.gov.cn/main/4461/content-807654.htmlChinese]. 2015. October 15th State Forestry Administration (2015-2).Announcement of State Forestry Administration (No. 17in2015)[in content-764562.html May 11th 2015. Engagedbe inIvory Processing and Ivory Products’ http://www.forestry.gov.cn/main/444/ [inChinese]. Sales State Forestry Administration (2015-1).The Announcement the Organizationson and Sitesthat areallowed to (Rev. Switzerland. 1),CITESSecretariat, Geneva, (ETIS) and the Illicit Trade in Ivory: areport to the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties Milliken, T., Underwood, F.M., Burn, R.W. and Sangalakula, L.(2016). Daily Youth border inthe trade ivory onLiu, areas illegal and China X.(2015).Survey between Vietnam [inChinese]. 2016. December 30th Ivory and Ivory Products http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/2016-12/30/content_5155017.htm [inChinese]. Office General the of State (2016).CircularCouncil on Phasing Commercialthe out ProcessingSales and of VI. REFERENCES , 6th December 2015. December , 6th An assessment of the illegal ivory trade in Viet Nam China’s Wildlife Enforcement Digest Moving Target: tracking online sales of illegal wildlife products in China Vietnam’s illegal ivory trade threatens Africa’s elephants Wildlife Cybercrime in China: E-commerce and social media monitoring Revisiting China’s Ivory Markets . Collected and compiled. Collected by TRAFFIC’s China . TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, Petaling Jaya, The Elephant Elephant The Trade System Information in2017.TRAFFIC Briefing . SaveElephant, The . CoP17 Doc. 57.6 Doc. . CoP17 . TRAFFIC China in TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, is a leading non-governmental organisation working globally on trade in wild animals and plants in the context of both biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.

For further information contact: TRAFFIC Global Office David Attenborough Building Pembroke Street Cambridge CB2 3QZ UK

Telephone: (44) (0) 1223 277427 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.traffic.org

UK Registered Charity No. 1076722, Registered Limited Company No. 3785518.